2018 Action Plan for the Belt and Road Initiative of Shaanxi Province

In order to fully implement President Xi Jinping’s Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the guiding principles from the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), uphold the fundamental requirements of high-quality development, the action plan is made in accordance with the spirit of the 13th Provincial Congress of the CPC and the plans of CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee and the People’s Government of Shaanxi Province on focusing the acceleration of development of economic hub, economic gateway and economic circulation so as to build an economic reform and opening-up platform in China and continuously promote the construction of the “Five Centers” under the Belt and Road Initiative.

I. Developing a center of transportation, commerce, trade and logistics

1. Establishing an integrated three-dimensional traffic network. Prioritizing rail transit and aviation, we will promote the construction of a traffic hub and integrated traffic network, move faster to build national highways, national main railways, asterisk-shaped high-speed railway network, intercity railway network in Guanzhong region, Xi’an urban rail transit and the third phase project of Xi’an Xianyang International Airport and vigorously develop the integrated traffic hub so as to form an efficient and convenient three-dimensional network connecting all directions from the north to the south and the west to the east. We will attach great importance to arranging waypoints along the Belt and Road and accelerate in building an international aviation hub facing Central and Eastern Europe, so as to form aviation networks covering most of the global strategic partners and central cities in key regions.

2. Establishing a modern commerce and trade platform. We will build a high-standard pilot free trade zone, strengthen institutional innovation, promote differentiation reform, continuously optimize the business environment, make efforts to cultivate innovation cases and accumulate experience with Shaanxi characteristics. We will expand the scale of import and export, establish trade new forms and new models, support cross-border e-commerce and attract factors to circulate in Shaanxi province including capital, people with talent, technology, products and information.

3. Setting up an international logistics hub. We will optimize the spatial layout of logistics nodes, improve the efficiency of logistics channels in an all-round manner, accelerate the construction of core logistics system featuring “three networks and three ports” (i.e., aviation network, railway and highway network, and information network as well as Xi’an International Inland Port, Xi’an Xianyang International Airport and Shaanxi Free Trade Port). We will strengthen cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road in railways, customs, inspection and quarantine in order to create favorable conditions for the China-Europe Railway Express (Xi’an) to expand routes. We will strengthen coordination with coastal harbors to open up the maritime silk road. We will promote in-depth strategic cooperation with Hainan Airlines, accelerate the layout of an international airline network and the establishment of local airline companies. Relying on the aviation town experimental area, we will vigorously develop an aviation economy, establish an aviation economy demonstration zone and create an international aviation logistics hub. In addition, we will deepen the strategic cooperation with JD.com, fasten logistics infrastructure construction, promote new industry development including unmanned aerial vehicle and build of smart logistics system.

4. Accelerating the construction of an international cooperation industrial park. We will continue to promote the “two countries, two parks” model (refers to China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park and Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park) with focus on advancing the construction of Sino-Russian Silk Road High-Tech Innovation Park and the Sino-Kazakh Apple Park of Friendship. We will guide enterprises to build Shaanxi Industrial Parks in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and other countries enjoying centralized outbound investment industries in Shaanxi province, so as to promote Shaanxi’s overseas industrial clustering development. We will accelerate the construction of Sino-Kazakhstan Modern Agricultural Innovation Park and other international agricultural cooperation parks. We will continue to strengthen follow-up services for the three key overseas economic and trade cooperation parks such as the Kazakhstan Aiju Grain and Oil Processing Industrial Park.

5. Supporting advantage enterprises to develop overseas markets. We will leverage industrial advantages in equipment manufacturing, energy and chemical, non-ferrous metallurgy, textile and building materials, modern agriculture, and energy conservation and environmental protection. We will focus on countries along the Belt and Road to strengthen our industrial connection and cooperation, extend the industrial chain and enhance value chain. We will support the development of enterprises by offering integrated foreign trade services, and encourage enterprises to build “overseas warehouses” or “Shaanxi Commodity Exhibition Centers” in countries along the Belt and Road to further expand their share of exports. We will support capital and technology-intensive enterprises to expand cooperation channels for energy resources, equipment manufacturing, and agricultural technology development in countries along the Belt and Road, increase the local conversion rate, and create demonstration effects of cooperation on production capacity.

6. Strengthening strategic and industrial connection and cooperation. To the west, we will strengthen connection with countries in Central Asia, Europe and other regions through land routes, establish international industrial cooperation clusters through cooperation, expand emerging markets, and consolidate the important strategic pivot effect of the New Eurasian Land Bridge Economic Corridor. To the north, we will focus on Mongolia and Russia to actively participate in the construction of the China, Mongolia, Russia Economic Corridor and cooperate in building an energy channel to complement each other's advantages. To the southeast, we will strengthen coordination and cooperation with Chengdu, Chongqing, Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan area, Beibu Gulf, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, Yangtze River delta, Pearl River Delta and other economic areas, and promote exchanges with countries in south Asia and Southeast Asia, and actively participate in the major national strategic layouts including the “21st-Century Maritime Silk Road” and the “Yangtze River Economic Belt”. We will strengthen inter-provincial regional cooperation such as Beijing-Shaanxi, Tianjin-Shaanxi, Jiangsu-Shaanxi, Sichuan-Shaanxi, and Hohhot-Baotou-Ordos-Yulin to build a new pattern of regional opening up.

III. Establishing a technology education center

7. Strengthening cooperation in science and technology. We will promote cooperation between institutions of higher learning, scientific research institutions and enterprises in Shaanxi province and foreign innovation agencies to establish innovative cooperation platforms and conduct cross-border joint research and development and technology transfer. We will guide and support Shaanxi’s qualified technology-driven companies and pillar companies to go abroad for self-construction, mergers and acquisitions or cooperation to establish R&D centers or business incubators, and use overseas innovation resources to develop new technologies and products with independent intellectual property rights. We will encourage and support universities, research institutes and enterprises in Shaanxi province to participate in the international major scientific plans and major science projects, participate in the implementation of inter-governmental scientific and technological cooperation projects and undertake key national strategic projects related to international cooperation in science, technology and innovation. We will utilize the Silk Road Agricultural Education and Research Innovation Alliance and other platforms to build a number of agricultural science and technology training and exchange centers in countries along the Belt and Road and establish the Belt and Road Vocational Agricultural Training Center in Yangling to promote the development of bi-lateral and multi-lateral agricultural and technological cooperation.

8. Deepening international education cooperation. We will continue to promote the implementation of items agreed in the International Cooperation Memorandum for Education Action under the Belt and Road Initiative signed with the Ministry of Education, step up efforts in opening up education in Shaanxi province, solidly promote the construction of the Belt and Road Education Cooperation Platform, and build the Silk Road Vocational Education Base. We must accelerate the issuance and implementation of the Implementation Opinions on Education Opening up in the New Era of Shaanxi Province, regard providing people with talent support, promoting connectivity among people, and achieving common development as the key tasks and focus on establishing institutional platforms, carrying out innovation on people-to-people and cultural exchange mechanisms, promoting Chinese-foreign cooperation in running schools, developing non-common language majors, and improving foreign students management so as to achieve leapfrog development in educational globalization of Shaanxi Province as soon as possible.

IV. Making efforts to establish international cultural tourism center

9. Expanding people-to people and cultural exchanges and cooperation. We will strengthen all kinds of foreign exchange and cooperation platforms and express Shaanxi voice, tell Shaanxi stories and demonstrate Shaanxi image through hosting major forums, festivals and exhibitions. We will actively communicate with relevant ministries and departments to continuously promote the establishment of Chinese Culture Centers overseas. We will strengthen exchanges and cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road in environmental protection, public health and sports and expand and enrich people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

10. Strengthening cultural industry development. We will continue to apply the leading effect of major projects, and endeavor to set up a Shaanxi Animation and Game Industry Base and a Xi’an Foreign Cultural Trade Base. We will tap into and utilize the rich cultural and historical resources of Shaanxi province, carry out talent cultivation plans for cultural industries, strengthen development of cultural innovative industry, develop boutique cultural innovative products and establish the Belt and Road cultural innovation platform. Besides, we will proactively create investment and business attracting platforms for cultural industries, organize and participate in exhibitions and activities to promote Belt and Road cultural trade developments.

11. Deepening international tourism cooperation. We will develop the Xi’an Silk Road International Tourism Expo into a significant international exhibition with Silk Road as its theme to increase the international influence of Shaanxi tourism. We will advertise Shaanxi through social media and establish a Shaanxi tourism promotion and communication network aimed at overseas tourists. We will create a Chinese cultural tourism brand through the show, Tuo Ling Legend, promote the high standards of live-action performances like The Long Regret to countries along the Belt and Road, and build the Chinese cultural belt from Xi’an to Kaifeng. We will promote the strategic cooperation with Ctrip, jointly host the World Culture and Tourism Forum to establish Shaanxi into a world-class cultural tourism center.

12. Creating unique tourism brands. We will promote the construction of an all-for-one tourism demonstration province, support Xi’an and Hancheng to create national-level tourism reform and innovation pioneer zones, encourage three cities including Baoji, Hanzhong and Hancheng and fourteen counties to carry out the construction of national all-for-one tourism demonstration zones. We will build four tourism platforms including the tourism corridor from the starting point of the Silk Road, the Qinling cultural and ecotourism holiday resort, the Yellow River tourism belt and the patriotism education tourism. We will develop Shaanxi into a world renowned tourism destination with international style, Chinese style and Shaanxi characteristics so as to achieve the transformation from a province with abundant tourism resources into a province with tourism competitiveness.

V. Attaching importance to building the Silk Road Financial Center

13. Reinforcing top-level design. Focusing on the position of the Silk Road financial center, we will prepare the Plan for Silk Road Financial Center and set up the promotion mechanism in this regard. We will deepen the promotion of financial reform and innovation of the China (Shaanxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone, strive to attract financial product and service innovation pilot projects to settle in the Zone with favorable conditions, and make efforts in cultivating replicable financial innovation cases which can be promoted.

14. Improving institutional system. We will intensify our efforts to attract foreign investment agencies, promote foreign corporate bodies and bank agencies to visit Shaanxi province and attract banks with intentions to settle in Shaanxi. We will strive to make Shaanxi home to the regional headquarters and functional headquarters of domestic and overseas financial institutions, move faster to attract institutions and talents. We will make efforts in approving and preparing for private banks, joint-venture securities, life insurance companies and financial leasing companies in the year.

15. Expanding financial business. We will speed up the promotion of the Silk Road Economic Belt cross-border settlement, advance the adoption of RMB in settlement of cross-border transactions with countries along the Belt and Road. We encourage financial institutions to focus on cooperation on production capacity in agriculture and technology with countries along the Belt and Road, innovate financial products and services to promote regional economic cooperation and people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

16. Deepening financial innovation. We will innovate international financing modes, strengthen cooperation in investment for major overseas projects with international financial institutions including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Silk Road Fund and the China-Africa Development Bank. We will deepen supply-side structural reform in insurance industry, make greater efforts in product and service innovation, vigorously carry out logistics synthesis insurance, and export credit insurance to better serve the Belt and Road Initiative.

VI. Optimizing development environment

17. Strengthening communication and guidance. We give full play to the leading role of the joint conference mechanism of Shaanxi new image building and publicizing, integrate resources in culture, cultural relics, tourism, economy and trade and foreign affairs, facilitate countries along the Belt and Road to go global, and make efforts in creating the brand of “getting to know China from Shaanxi province”. We will continuously improve the service of the Belt and Road in Shaanxi province, make intensified efforts in policy interpretation and result communication, reinforce information communication and cultural exchanges and take full advantage of official comprehensive service platform.

18. Organizing major events. We actively communicate with relevant ministries and departments in striving to be able to host the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation 2019 in Xi’an. We start preparing for the Forum in advance, accelerate in promoting the construction of the Silk Road International Convention Center. We will organize and participate in the first China International Import Expo and endeavor to host major investment attraction events including the Silk Road International Exposition and the Investment and Trade Forum for Cooperation between East and West China, the China Yangling Agricultural Hi-Tech Fair and Shaanxi-Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Economic Cooperation Week.

19. Expanding foreign exchanges. Centering on the Belt and Road Initiative, we will adjust the foreign affairs work layout, advance exchanges and cooperation in major directions, countries, regions and projects, strive to attract more countries to set up consulates in Shaanxi province. We will promote the expansion of international sister city construction to countries along the Belt and Road, foster the alliance pattern of the Belt and Road industrial parks, gradually form the pattern with governmental and non-governmental exchanges connecting, complementing and promoting each other.

20. Improving service assurance. We will give full play to the central role of the Belt and Road Initiative in building an overseas safety assurance system and mechanism, and improve the level of and capacity for overseas safety assurance. We will proactively carry out international exchanges of intellectual property rights (IPR), reinforce IPR talent cultivation. We will vigorously carry forward overseas investment insurance, provide enterprises with information and consultancy services and offer risk assurance for enterprises to invest abroad.

VII. Strengthening organization and coordination

21. Improving the information report mechanism. According to central inspection group’s requirements on “reflecting” on implementation and rectification work, all member organizations shall report results and major feedbacks regularly to the Steering Group Office of the Belt and Road Initiative (hereinafter referred to as the Belt and Road Office). The Belt and Road Office shall report their working progress to the provincial government every six months, and relevant departments at the provincial level will make a summary and evaluation on the working implementation at the end of each year, .

22. Strengthening supervision and verification. In accordance with the Notice on Strengthening and Standardizing the Belt and Road Foreign Exchange Platform Verification of Clear and Standardize Celebrations, Seminars and Forums Steering Group of Shaanxi Province (S.Q.Z.Zi. [2018] No.1), we will strengthen and standardize verification of the Belt and Road foreign exchange platform, safeguard the authority of the Belt and Road Initiative, prevent generalization of the Belt and Road concept and avoid accumulation of wealth by taking advantage of the Belt and Road Initiative.

23. Reinforcing coordination and promotion. To establish a targeted promotion mechanism according to the division of responsibilities of each department and urge responsible departments to take the initiative in strengthening coordination so as to make sure the orderly preceding of major projects and promote the “Five Centers” construction. The leading departments shall prepare the mid-term evaluation report in accordance with the Implementation Plans and submit it to the Belt and Road Office at the end of the year. (The Transportation, Commerce and Trade Center shall be led by Shaanxi Provincial Development and Reform Commission and Department of Transport of Shaanxi Province; the International Production Capacity Cooperation Center shall be led by Shaanxi Provincial Development and Reform Commission and Shaanxi Provincial Department of Commerce; the Technology and Education Center shall be led by Shaanxi Science and Technology Department and Education Department of Shaanxi Provincial Government; the International Cultural Tourism Center shall be led by Shaanxi Department of Culture and Shaanxi Tourism Development Commission; the Silk Road Financial Center shall be led by Shaanxi Financial Office and Xi’an Municipal Government.)